A strategic meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian leader Vladimir Putin is necessary, Presidential Spokesperson Ibrahim Kalın stressed on Saturday, highlighting Turkey’s efforts to help establish a permanent cease-fire.
Kalın told Al-Jazeera news that Turkey is trying to get "different views and channels together to bring an end to this war."
Citing ongoing "technical" negotiations in Belarus between Ukraine and Russia, Kalın said the "very first political level meeting took place in Antalya, at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum with the participation of our foreign minister. And now what we need is a strategic level meeting between the two leaders, that is between President Putin and President Zelenskyy."
As a result of Turkey’s intense diplomatic efforts, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met for the first time since Russia started its invasion of Ukraine ahead of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in the Mediterranean resort city on March 10. After the talks with Lavrov in Antalya, Kuleba said there had been "no progress," even on a 24-hour cease-fire, although the Russian foreign minister said Moscow would remain open to dialogue.
Ankara said arranging the meeting between the two officials was in itself a diplomatic victory.
Strategic issues of the territorial and the political-legal status of Donbass on Crimea are likely to be "addressed at a leaders' level," according to Kalın. Turkey, along with the rest of NATO, criticized Moscow's 2014 annexation of Crimea and voiced support for Ukraine's territorial integrity as Kyiv's forces battle pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine.
"We're hoping that there will be more convergence on these issues and this meeting will take place sooner rather than later because we all want this war to come to an end," he said.
On a possible peace deal in the near future, Kalın said, "It is possible but when and how? That is the main question. It will have to happen at some point. The negotiation teams are getting closer and closer even though there is no final written agreement at this point."
"It's only through that strategic level meeting that a peace deal, a permanent peace, a permanent cease-fire can be established," he noted.
Kalın said the two sides were getting closer on four key issues. He cited Russia's demand for Ukraine to renounce ambitions to join NATO, demilitarisation and the protection of the Russian language in Ukraine.
The Turkish official expressed his country's support to Ukraine's "territorial integrity, sovereignty and political unity" as he stated that "there is no way to condone or accept or justify this war."
Meanwhile, he affirmed that: "We also have to keep lines of communication open with the Russian side and try to understand their security concerns that led them to act in this way. Even though as I said, that's not justifiable, we really have to understand this for the long run."
Noting that the conflict has two sides for Russia, Kalın said it is fighting a military war on the ground while also battling the economic repercussions.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which began on Feb. 24, has drawn international condemnation, led to financial sanctions on Moscow and spurred an exodus of global firms from Russia.
"The sanctions side is hurting the Russian economy and Russia's ability to finance this war. And in the long run, of course, there will be major consequences. I believe President Putin is debating all these different options and looking at different possibilities of reaching some kind of a deal that will keep Russia in a position of strength but also make it accept a peace deal," Kalın said.
He noted that the "overall psychological approach to this whole issue will not help," and that "we need to focus on the main issues, strategic issues and political dynamics that have brought this war. I think we just need to focus on that rather than personalities."
"I think the leaders, both Zelenskyy and Putin, will set aside their personal issues or tendencies because we know that there is really not much love or chemistry between the two. That's obvious enough, but I think they will set aside those differences and put the interests of their countries and nations before anything else."
Regarding Turkey’s role in bringing the two leaders together, Kalin said the country is "keeping the trust channel open."
"This trust channel is really important. And I know the two leaders also trust our leader (President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan) and I think this service will be of critical significance when the time comes for the two leaders to get together," he added.
NATO member Turkey, which shares a maritime border with Russia and Ukraine on the Black Sea, has good relations with both countries.
It has called Russia’s invasion unacceptable and has ramped up efforts to undertake a facilitator role to find a solution to the conflict.
Maintaining its neutral and balanced stance, Turkey continues its diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the Ukraine conflict, urging all sides to exercise restraint. While Ankara has opposed international sanctions designed to isolate Moscow, it also closed its straits to prevent some Russian vessels from crossing them.
Under the 1936 Montreux Convention, NATO member Turkey controls the Bosporus and Dardanelles, linking the Mediterranean and Black seas. The pact gives Ankara the power to regulate the transit of naval warships and close the straits to foreign warships during wartime and when it is threatened.
Turkey in late February called Russia’s invasion a "war," allowing it to invoke articles under the pact that could limit the passage of some Russian vessels from its straits.
UNSC reform needed
Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu on Saturday also addressed the issue of the ongoing war in the region, underlining that the United Nations Security Council is in need of serious reform.
"Both the Russia-Ukraine war and latest developments in the region once again show that the international system, especially the U.N. Security Council, needs to be subjected to serious reform. We agreed to act together with Japan on these issues," Çavuşoğlu told a joint news conference with his Japanese counterpart Yoshimasa Hayashi in Turkey’s Mediterranean Antalya province.
Turkish officials have called for a new approach to deal with the global crisis.
In his book, "A Fairer World is Possible," Erdoğan has similarly argued how global peace can be attained by reforming the U.N. and other international organizations. Erdoğan has been long known for his emphasis on global justice with his famous phrase: "The world is bigger than five."
Çavuşoğlu briefed Hayashi on Turkey’s efforts for a cease-fire in the Russia-Ukraine war.
Hayashi acknowledged that "as a strategic partner of Japan and a regional power, Turkey plays an active mediation role in the current situation in Ukraine."
He said Çavuşoğlu shared detailed information on Ankara’s diplomatic efforts based on close relations with both Ukraine and Russia. "In this regard, Japan appreciates Turkey’s efforts and pays its respects," Hayashi added.
Çavuşoğlu speaking to Turkish daily Hürriyet published on Sunday said that Russia and Ukraine were nearing agreement on "critical" issues and he was hopeful for a ceasefire if the two sides did not backtrack from progress achieved so far.
Turkey’s top diplomat said that there had been "rapprochement in the positions of both sides on important subjects, critical subjects".
"We can say we are hopeful for a ceasefire if the sides do not take a step back from the current positions," he said, without elaborating on the issues.
Çavuşoğlu visited the Russian and Ukrainian capitals Moscow and Kyiv this week as part of Turkey’s mediation efforts for a truce.
Dutch PM to visit Turkey
Meanwhile, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said Friday that Turkey is very important for the defense of NATO's eastern flank amid Russia's war on Ukraine. He said he will visit Turkey on March 22 ahead of an extraordinary NATO leaders' summit on March 24, which will discuss the war.
While discussing relations, he said Germany should not be the only one to reach out, adding that the country should have good relations with Turkey, even if there are disagreements on some issues.
Rutte has said Erdoğan is one of the few leaders who are in contact with Moscow and Kyiv and mentioned a possible visit to Ankara in a recent call with the president.